When non-dog lovers come to your home...

 Depends for me too...four dogs can be very overwhelming for some people, so sometimes I put them up. Situations where I would are a first time visitor, a workman of some sort, someone just stopping by for a minute, or a party. Situations where I wouldn't are someone who is over alot or someone who is going to stay a while. I actually don't know of anyone who would come over who doesn't like dogs, but sometimes it's easier for me to put them up anyway.

scrubsfiend

I had to laugh a little when I read the OP's comment about wanting to scream "would it kill you to pat the dog?"  It seems like such a small thing to you and me, doesn't it?  How silly they look, all drawn up, trying to keep from touching the thing wiggling at their feet.  My sister makes this face, as if Joey were contagious, and holds out her arms to keep him away.  While it's funny on the surface, it does hurt my feelings a little.  But then I try to put myself in her shoes and imagine what it's like when I go to a stranger's house and it's dirty.  I mean really dirty.  I hardly want to sit down, much less eat there or anything else.  And while the two aren't really comparable, it's all about being put in situations where the home owner feels everything is 'normal' but you as the visitor are rather uncomfortable.  If that homeowner knew your ick factor, maybe they would clean up a little before you visited?  So should I try and help Lana out when she visits.

Yes, exactly!  People look at the dogs as if their hands are going to fall off if they touch them!  That's a good comparison though about going into a dirty house.  While most of my friends and family are neat freaks, I have one family member with a really nasty house. I don't feel comfortable sitting down there and don't allow my children to eat there.   To them, that seems quite normal, to me, it's abnormal (although I'm not a neat freak at all, my house isn't dirty by any stretch), I'll remember that comparison next time a non-dog lover comes over. 

We have a routine that we follow with all visitors.  The dogs are required to sit nicely for an introduction to our guests.  If our guests want to play with the dogs, then they are allowed to play.  If our guests would prefer not mess with the dogs, then they are sent to their beds, in the same room, & asked to stay there.  They know that if they are sent to bed, they are to stay there until further notice, so it's no big deal.

Cita

Spazzy

Bailey is a member of the family. I dont see any reason he should have to be locked in a room or put outside when people are here. Hes well behaved, he doesnt jump or lick. If someones here thats not a "dog person" then fine, but they will have to deal with him being around. I dont mind if they dont pet him or anything but there isnt any need to be rude about it. One time we were having kind of a picnic at our house and our family was here and one of them brought a friend that i didnt know. Bailey was just walking around in the crowd getting pets from family he knows. Not jumping on anyone or being pushy at all. I watched him walk over to the friend and he was super mellow just wagging his tail not crazy bouncing all over the place or anything. And the second he got within 4 feet of her she threw a empty bottle of soda at him and started yelling at him. Bailey seemed kind of confused and before i got over there to get him he picked up the empty soda bottle thinking it was a game (i sometimes let him play with empty soda bottles in the yard, its the one "toy" he actually likes to chase around) and when he picked it up and came closer to her she smacked him on the nose... She wasnt to happy about what i said to her about that. I was pissed... I know it didnt hurt him but still, he wasnt even doing anything to deserve that!?!? She hasnt come to our house again....

What about someone's pet snake that is "part of the family"? Would it be okay to let the snake roam around freely without consulting the guests first? It's understandable that some people might be really uncomfortable about that, right?

I look at it this way--I may be a guest in someone's house, but it is still *their* home.  DH actually has a friend whose house I haven't gone to a  while because there is a snake in the living room (in a tank) and I would prefer not be in the same room with it.  I don't expect them to move the snake tank for my benefit, and I wouldn't want them too.  If someone had a free range snake in their home that they considered part of the family, I wouldn't expect them to just put it away, I just wouldn't be visiting--lol.  I think it is extremely rude on the part of the guest to say/do offensive things about/to the pets in your hosts home.

I really don't know very many non dog folks....  But the standard in our home is simple when company comes over dogs are crated , ( since I have 7 good sized dogs) until I know which ones feel like chilling and hanging out. I stress good manners and would rather put the dog in a position of sucess. The Rescue is a nut case and even after several months with me can not just walk in and say hi, she has to pong off the walls at super speed!  So she comes out on lead. 

As I said very busy home so If they make you uncomfortable chances are we will have a one minute visit on my front porch. Dogs laughing from the AC inside.  If I just have to have you in then dogs will be out back or crated with a high value treat.

to be honest i prefer people to ignore the dogs to people who get them all riled up, making moca pee (she's a submissive urinator), which sets me back in that department, and making jason nervous.

when people dont like dogs that's ok too, but dont come to my house and give a speach about how dogs suck. that, obviously is rude. but i feel for people who just arent dog-people, acknowledging the dogs would be a foreign concept, since they dont understand how the dogs are part of our family in the first place...

whether i leave the dogs out or not depends. i tend to leave them crated until everyone is settled and they have calmed down, so they dont get to enthusiastic in greeting the guests. then i let them out, and if it goes well i leave them out. if i see it creates problems, either for the dogs or for the guests, i crate them. (although some people have asked me, why i have the dogs if i lock them up all the time. to them it looks that way, cause the dogs are locked away everytime THEY are there... lol)

KarissaKS

I don't care at all if someone doesn't want to love up on my dogs -- but they'd better be accepting of them.  I share my home with the dogs and they are welcome to be part of anything that happens there.  If someone has a problem with that, we can meet somewhere else.

This is my take too. Some of DH's family, mainly the ones that I can't stand anyway, don't like dogs. His sister flat out ignores them which is fine, but she'll also make comments about Teddi's hair. So will his aunt.  You know we have dogs, you know the one sheds, if you don't like it, don't come. And my two, after the initial greet, are calm and don't get in anyone's faces. 

Now if a completely new visitor comes, especially a repairman or mailman, etc., they go in the yard for the time being. There's nothing worse to them I'm sure then a dog being in their face while they are trying to do their job. At least that's my take :)

jennyx0023

especially a repairman or mailman, etc., they go in the yard for the time being. There's nothing worse to them I'm sure then a dog being in their face while they are trying to do their job. At least that's my take :)

Yes, that's the one exception I make, too.  We have an exterminator come by every other month.  He likes my dogs, but I don't want them to be in his way, and I especially don't want them to get near the chemicals he's using!  So the dogs go out in the yard while he works inside, then I bring them back in so he can do the outside spraying.  But it doesn't take him long to do the inside stuff, like 10 minutes, maybe.  Any repairman who would be working in the house for any decent length of time, I'd probably either hang out in the back yard with the dogs, play with the Chuck It or something, or take them for a nice long walk, etc.

When repairmen come I always crate the dogs.  I agree, they are there to work and don't need the dogs hanging around them.  My cousin is an HVAC guy and he says he can't stand when he's at someone's house to work and the dog keeps wanting attention and the owner just says things like "awww, he wants to play, he likes you" stuff like that instead of doing anything about it. 

If a pizza delivery man plays with the dogs (I let them come to the door with me) then I tip him extra, I can't lie.    It's only a few seconds while I sign the credit card reciept and it's nice when they are friendly towards the dogs, even though I wouldn't blame them if they were afraid due to bad experiences.

LillianD

When repairmen come I always crate the dogs.  I agree, they are there to work and don't need the dogs hanging around them.  My cousin is an HVAC guy and he says he can't stand when he's at someone's house to work and the dog keeps wanting attention and the owner just says things like "awww, he wants to play, he likes you" stuff like that instead of doing anything about it. 

Our tech's prefer the friendly dogs who want to play as opposed to the dogs that want to eat them. lol    We have one customer with a Lab (surprise, surprise) and the dog brings all his toys over to the guy working on the unit and drops each one at his feet.  If this doesn't work the dog starts picking up any tools within reach and runs off with them.  The dog has taught all our techs to throw his toy or face the consequences. lol 

 My dogs are extremely rude. I'll admit it. They're both very in your face. They jump up, they lick, Ena likes to hold peoples' hands. My brother's girlfriend picked Emma up, when she was here, and Emma growled at her.

Emma goes on a leash, when people come over, and Ena stays free, to be insane. People are always warned. Of course, if a repair person comes, they're put away. Otherwise? *shrugs* Them being wild and crazy in greeting me is something I fine endearing. I'm not correcting it. 

I don't invite people over often b/c I'm rather like a hermit.  As such, the girls have no behavior skills.  It's something that I hope to work on, but in the interim, I do slide them in a different room.

Max just assumes that the only reason anyone ever comes to the door is to see him. He doesn't jump on people except for the rare person who actually encourages him to jump up. He greets, sniffs and expects to get petted ... then go goes and lies down. The Terminix man brings him treats and the pool man turns on the hose so he can play in the water.  The only person I have to lock him in for is the guy with the evil killer leaf blower. Even when delivery people come, it's always "aww - he must smell my dog."  I don't remember anyone who actually doesn't like dogs ever coming to my house.

Joyce

Cita

Spazzy

Bailey is a member of the family. I dont see any reason he should have to be locked in a room or put outside when people are here. Hes well behaved, he doesnt jump or lick. If someones here thats not a "dog person" then fine, but they will have to deal with him being around. I dont mind if they dont pet him or anything but there isnt any need to be rude about it. One time we were having kind of a picnic at our house and our family was here and one of them brought a friend that i didnt know. Bailey was just walking around in the crowd getting pets from family he knows. Not jumping on anyone or being pushy at all. I watched him walk over to the friend and he was super mellow just wagging his tail not crazy bouncing all over the place or anything. And the second he got within 4 feet of her she threw a empty bottle of soda at him and started yelling at him. Bailey seemed kind of confused and before i got over there to get him he picked up the empty soda bottle thinking it was a game (i sometimes let him play with empty soda bottles in the yard, its the one "toy" he actually likes to chase around) and when he picked it up and came closer to her she smacked him on the nose... She wasnt to happy about what i said to her about that. I was pissed... I know it didnt hurt him but still, he wasnt even doing anything to deserve that!?!? She hasnt come to our house again....

 

That's where the "respect/manners" issue comes in for me. Would it be polite to whack at someone's furniture? What about their kids? Then why would it be okay to whack at someone's animal??!

For me, I keep Rascal confined with most visitors as much for his comfort as theirs. He shouldn't have to put up with stupid people, and people who don't like dogs shouldn't have to put up with him.

Honestly, while the guest in your situation was WAY WAY out of line, she clearly was really uncomfortable with a loose dog. I'm a firm believer in "manage the situation and set it up for success," whether it's with people or dogs, and in that instance it would have entailed not having the dog running loose in a crowd of (some-unknown) people.

What about someone's pet snake that is "part of the family"? Would it be okay to let the snake roam around freely without consulting the guests first? It's understandable that some people might be really uncomfortable about that, right?

I get what you mean, i have reptiles and i let them run around all the time but most people wouldnt be to happy about comming into the house and having a aussie water dragon jump onto their back. The lady was a friend of my sister. I dont really know her that well but ive seen her at my sisters house with a little pomeranian in her purse yapping away whenever anyone talked or moved. My sister had her dog bella, a bullmastiff walking around so obviously the girl couldnt have been afraid of big dogs or anything... cause Bella is huge. The only reason he was off leash is because it was all family here, everyone knew bailey and Bailey knew all of them.